Interested in Indie Games?

Video games have become big business. As a result, there has been a trend of game developers getting more and more funds to make bigger and bigger games, thus resulting in the dominance of AAA titles. However, it is important to note that the rise of the Internet has made it easier than ever for indie game developers to get attention for their creations, thus resulting in a simultaneous rise of indie games throughout the video game market. Of course, indie games can't hope to match their multi-million-dollar counterparts when it comes to their graphical presentation, but that doesn't mean that indie games aren't worth playing. If anything, indie games can offer interested individuals experiences that wouldn't survive the planning process for AAA titles, meaning that they are well-worth investigating in their own right.

What Is Raver II: Carnage Remixed?

For instance, people who remember 90s shooters with fondness might want to check out Raver II: Carnage Remixed, which is an indie shooter that draws considerable inspiration from said sources. However, it would be a serious mistake to think that it is nothing but a retread of well-trodden ground, meaning that it offers plenty that is much newer than said period.

Story-wise, Raver II is a continuation of its predecessor. As such, those who have played the previous installment will find it no surprise to learn that Raver II stars Razor-Sergeant Luna-837, who was killed well before an outbreak in his home of Citadel 19. Due to his love for his people, his loyalty to his home, and his hatred for those who are responsible for the incident, Luna-837 is determined to see justice done as well as punishment meted out no matter who or what is standing in his way.

Mechanics-wise, Raver II is very reminiscent of 90s shooters, which fall into the same genre as their modern successors but offered a very different kind of play-through experience. With that said, a simpler experience isn't a bad experience. If anything, simplicity can be refreshing when interested individuals want something lighter but no less frenetic and fast-paced.

On top of this, it should be mentioned that while Raver II looks like a 90s shooter, it isn't. Instead, it is very much a product of the late 2010s, meaning that it is the product of the many, many lessons learned from not just 90s shooters but also all of the other relevant games that have been released since that time. As such, Raver II isn't a 90s shooter but rather a spiritual successor that improves on them in a wide range of ways, thus making it even better-suited for those who remember that time with fondness but might be viewing it with nostalgia-tinted goggles.

Finally, it should be mentioned that interested individuals can test out Raver II by downloading the demo for either the PC or the Mac. Once they have done so, they should be able to get a good idea of what they can expect from the rest of the game, which in turn, should inform them whether they want to play the rest or not. The whole process shouldn't take much time at all, meaning that even interested individuals find that Raver II isn't for them, they won't lose out in the end.

The Return Of Michael And He's Not Insane Theory

Supernatural Season 14 ended in a bizarre way. Nobody expected Chuck (God) to murder Jack (The Nephilim) in cold blood, and unleash evil to the world. In fact, at the beginning of Season 14, I had expected the Archangel Michael from the alternate dimension, to run as the main bad guy up to the end. The series took a turn for good when Jack obliterated him.

Now it is official, Chuck will be the bad guy in season 15. Taking into account he is God and very powerful, it will take more than the Winchester boys (Sam and Dean) and their allies to stop him—if it is even possible.

In the previous seasons, Chuck had posed as a prophet of the lord and a writer until he revealed himself as God, after The Darkness (God's Sister) was released to the world by the Winchester Brothers.

At the end of Season 14, Dean pissed Chuck by going against his writings. He had already written how it would end between Jack and the Winchesters—Dean was to kill Jack. However, he did not go through with it. To make matters worse, Sam even shot Chuck.

It was clear that Chuck had been manipulating everything that had been happening right from the start. He even lied to the Winchesters by telling them the gun he gave them to murder Jack, could kill everything including him.

Therefore, what if Archangel Michael is not as crazy as Chuck paints him? Do you think Michael can help them fight God?

Let me take you down a short memory lane by reminding you that Michael from the original dimension is locked in a cage because they think he is insane. Don't get me wrong, of course, Michael tried to possess Dean's body (his perfect vessel) by force and did many other unspeakable things. However, these turn of events could have been manipulated by Chuck because everything he wrote came to pass.

Now that Dean has broken the cycle, probably in Season 15, they will release Michael from the cage. Needless to say that they will be fighting the most powerful being in the universe—God. Therefore, they have to enlist the help of Michael who is the most powerful of God's fighting warriors.

Michael might have some crucial insights on how to defeat Chuck since he was his most trusted soldier. It is also imperative to point out that all the other Archangels such as Lucifer, Gabriel, and Raphael are dead.

In Season 15, the Winchester brothers might try put their dispute aside and break Michael out of the cage to help them with the war against God. In fact, if he learns his fate revolved around Chuck's writing and how God left them unattended in Heaven, Michael might have a score to settle with him.

Importantly, Michael commands the respect of many Angels and might be instrumental in recruiting them in this epic battle.

Have You Heard of Granblue Fantasy?

Cygames is a Japanese video game developer that is becoming more and more prominent. This is because its mobile games have brought in enough money for it to start funding console games, various animated shows, and other forms of entertainment. Currently, Cygames's flagship is Granblue Fantasy, which is very much meant to appeal to people who remember 2D Final Fantasy games and other Japanese RPGs from the same era with fondness.

Why Should You Be Interested in Granblue Fantasy?

There are a number of reasons that people should consider checking out Granblue Fantasy. For starters, it is available on both Android and iOS, which isn't even counting how it can be played from a browser for those who prefer that particular option. Furthermore, it should be mentioned that the team behind Granblue Fantasy has long since hit its stride, meaning that it has none of the common mistakes that players can expect from regularly updated mobile games that are just starting out.

However, the single most important reason is that Cygames is teaming up with Arc System Works and PlatinumGames to bring not once but two new Granblue Fantasy projects to consoles and potentially the PC. The first will be a fighting game called Granblue Fantasy Versus, while the second will be an action RPG called Granblue Fantasy: Relink, which should prove interesting for fans of those particular video game developers.

Broly Is Set to Star in the First Dragon Ball Super Movie

The first Dragon Ball Super movie is set to come out very soon. However, for a lot of people who remember the Dragon Ball Z movies, the most exciting part about the upcoming release is that it will be focused on Broly, who will become a part of the Dragon Ball canon overseen by Akira Toriyama himself.

With that said, some people are already wondering who else might make a migration from the Dragon Ball Z movies to the Dragon Ball canon. After all, if Broly managed to make it, why couldn't some other non-canon but nonetheless popular character such as Cooler manage something similar? In fact, there are some who are so eager that they are wondering whether Dragon Ball Super: Broly should be the movie to introduce such a character.

Should Cooler Be Introduced in the First Dragon Ball Super Movie?

Theoretically, there shouldn't be anything stopping the people behind Dragon Ball Super: Broly from using the movie to introduce another character such as Cooler. However, could isn't the same as should because there are very good reasons that they should avoid making such a move.

In short, Dragon Ball Super: Broly is centered on Broly. Its title mentions Broly. Furthermore, its marketing materials have focused on Broly. As a result, there are expectations from the Dragon Ball fandom that Dragon Ball Super: Broly will be focused on Broly rather than some other character, meaning that upsetting those expectations would be very high-risk in exchange for uncertain rewards.

This is particularly true because having more important characters risk cluttering up the central narrative of the movie. Something like The Avengers can get away with multiple main characters, but that is because each of the Avengers movies has had multiple movies' worth of build-up. In contrast, putting Cooler in a Broly-centered movie in a major way would be like putting an Iron Man storyline in the first Captain America movie or vice versa. Can such a setup make for successful movies without proper build-up? Sure, but judging by Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, they are much likelier to make for a muddled mess.

Of course, it might be interesting to see Cooler make a cameo in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. Dragon Ball fans shouldn't expect something like this to happen, but if it happened, it could make for a nice setup for future Dragon Ball Super movies so long as Cooler stays out of the spotlight.

Source

Recently, Samsung put up a teaser for its new foldable phone called the Galaxy X. However, it is interesting to note that Google has confirmed that its next generation of Android OS called Android Q will provide native support to both foldable phones and dual-screen phones. This makes sense because a number of Android phone manufacturers are planning to produce such phones in the near future, meaning that Google's choice in this regard is very sensible in nature. Still, this is the first time that Google has spoken in such an open manner about its next generation of Android OS, thus making it a notable event.

Source

Iron Fist has received the dubious distinction of being the first Marvel series to be cancelled by Netflix. It seems that even though the second season was better-received than the first, it wasn't enough to save the series. The exact reason that Iron Fist struggled so much is unclear, but interested individuals have proposed a number of reasons.

For example, some people complained about Iron Fist's relatively tame presentation in preference to a whole-hearted embrace of the source material's more colorful parts. Meanwhile, other people found fault with the lead Finn Jones, particularly since there was a significant number of people who felt that Iron Fist should have been changed up so that its protagonist was an Asian-American seeking to reconnect with his parents by visiting their homeland. Something that would have resonated with a lot of second-generation Asian-Americans.

New Gadgets Are Being Released On a Constant Basis

New gadgets continue to be released on a constant basis. As a result, it should come as no surprise to learn that there are some rather interesting pieces of news that have come up in September of 2018 for those who are fascinated by such things.

What Are Some Interesting Pieces of News that Have Come Up?

For starters, Amazon has announced the AmazonBasics Microwave, which is an excellent example of the Internet of Things that is coming into existence. In short, the microwave is a smart appliance that comes with a number of useful features. For example, its user can use their voice to command the microwave to cook several kinds of preset food. Furthermore, the microwave comes with a wi-fi connection, which enables it to reorder more popcorn from Amazon's Dash service whenever the supply runs short. For those who are curious, the AmazonBasics Microwave won't be released until November 14 but can be preordered in the meantime.

On a separate note, GoPro has made a camera that is $400 more expensive than its predecessor but could very well prove to be worth that price upgrade. This is because the new GoPro Hero 7 comes with a much-improved stabilization system that can turn even the shakiest footage into something much more watchable, thus making it an excellent choice for people who like to film scenes with plenty of action. It is unclear how much of the stabilization system comes from enhanced sensors and how much of the stabilization system comes from enhanced software, but whatever the case, the results speak for themselves.

For something less commercial in nature, researchers at Queen's University in Canada have come up with something rather curious. Smartphones have been becoming flatter and flatter for some time, but some parties have been working on other smartphone concepts as well, with an excellent example being the foldable smartphone that has been making a fair amount of progress in recent times. What is amusing is that the researchers at Queen's University have come up with a cylindrical touchscreen device called the MagicScroll for the simple reason that is what it happens to resemble. Currently, the MagicScroll isn't particularly impressive. As a result, there is no real reason to believe that it will be making a transition to the consumer market anytime soon. However, it is an interesting proof of concept, so if further refinements continue to be made, it will be interesting to see what could come from it.

Whatever Happened to Michael on Supernatural?

Currently, Supernatural is focused on an alternate universe version of Michael the Archangel, who has been set loose on the main universe with Dean Winchester as his vessel. As a result, it is natural for Supernatural fans to wonder about the fate of main universe version of Michael, who has been stuck in Lucifer's Cage since the end of Season 5. Something that in turn, leads one to wonder whether Michael deserves his current fate in the series or not.

Does Michael Deserve to Be Stuck in Lucifer's Cage?

Unfortunately, justice is one of the most complicated philosophical issues that can be found out there, so much so that people are still considering the matter even though some of the finest minds to have ever existed have labored on the same task since the start of the human experience. As a result, it is perfectly possible for different people to come up with different positions on the matter even if they have access to the same information about all of the relevant parties as well as all of the relevant facts.

For starters, it is important to note what it means when one says that Michael is stuck in Lucifer's Cage. Unfortunately, we don't get a lot of exact details about the conditions of imprisonment in said location, but we have more than enough information to conclude that it is rather unpleasant. For example, Lucifer's greatest fear is said to be being returned to his prison. Likewise, Michael is said to have gone mad as a result of his imprisonment. On top of this, it should be mentioned that solitary confinement is supposed to have such a horrendous impact on people that it can start causing permanent damage in as little as 15 days, which explains why such a wide range of respected bodies consider it to be outright torture. Granted, Michael isn't actually in solitary confinement because of the presence of Adam Milligan, but one step less terrible than solitary confinement isn't much of a step up. Summed up, it seems reasonable to say that Michael being stuck in Lucifer's Cage is effectively a sentence of eternal torture.

As a result, the issue of whether Michael deserves to be stuck in Lucifer's Cage or not depends on whether a sentence of eternal torture can ever be considered just. There are people who would say, "Yes," but in most cases, the probable conclusion is, "No." Said sentiment would be true even in pre-modern societies that ran on lex talionis, which might be more familiar to people as "an eye for an eye." Certainly, such societies were very brutal from our perspective, but fundamentally, lex talionis meant that justice consisted of proportionate rather than disproportionate retribution, thus limiting what could be done to wrongdoers. Granted, Michael committed a lot of horrendous acts and would have gone on to commit even more when he was pushing for the Apocalypse to happen, but what he did was nonetheless finite in nature, which in turn, means that even under lex talionis, his sentence should be finite in nature as well.

Of course, we are not our pre-modern predecessors. For a lot of us, retribution remains a component of what we believe to be justice. However, we put a much greater emphasis on rehabilitation, so much so that some of us would even say that there is no room for retribution whatsoever. As a result, chances are good that an even greater proportion of us would say that Michael does not deserve a sentence of eternal torture no matter how bad he was.

Further Considerations

With that said, there are various counter-arguments that can be made against what has been said. For example, the chain of reasoning rests on the position that Michael being stuck in Lucifer's Cage is in effect a sentence of eternal torture, meaning that it is possible to undermine the chain by attacking the idea that the conditions of his imprisonment are indeed torturous. Likewise, it is important to point out that one of the reasons that society imprisons people is to stop them from committing further crimes. In that light, Lucifer's Cage might be justifiable because there are very few ways that an Archangel can be imprisoned in so secure a manner, meaning that while the conditions of Michael's imprisonment are torturous, his suffering is not enough to overrule the horrors that he would unleash upon the world.